hi- happy holidays to all and marko. I want to know if anyone has ever given their dog this pill. I know about steroids- its a human pill dexamasone 0.5mg lowest dosage and its 10x times more powerful than predisone. I went to vetinfo, is also an excellent source of info on dog health. there are a lot of side effects. it would be great if one of the vets read my post and comment.
vomiting,heavy panting,diarhea,bloody stools are just a few mentioned. the reason why he was prescribe this pill is because he goes around in circles. I did not have the monies for a mri,cat scan,fluroscopy they cost $$$$in nyc.

I already gave him 15 pills and I see no difference so far. he is 15/16 lasha apso. I saw a little blood on Tuesday night but no more except black/brown stools. Is he bleeding inside? I think Im going to get a stool sample and check it out to know for sure. Its also used for arthritis/joint pain. you never mix asprin with a steroid very dangerous-it can cause death. so I had him on novox (same as rimdayl) his eight bottle but hold off on the last bottle. What can I do to protect his stomach from ulcers when he is on this. He is already anemic for 2 yrs. He has loss muscle loss(scarponia) but that's because old dogs do not take in nutrients like they use to. any feedback is good. thanks. bye. sweetheart1.

Rimadyl is an NSAID, and it's also a big no-no to give steroids and an NSAID together, which can cause bleeding an ulceration of the stomach. There is supposed to be a "washout out", a waiting period between giving these two types of meds, something like 10-14 days.

I have no clue about dosage.

The vet may have been thinking brain tumor, thus the steroid? Sometimes vestibular disease too.

If your dog was anemic, I would look to that as a clue - I would rule out tick disease, and even do a trial of doxycycline, as the anemia and neuro symptoms. Could point to TBD.

My last Lab girl was on Dexamethasone for pain control in her last two years of life. She had invertebral disk disease and significant spinal spondylosis, so basically lots of bad arthritis. It did not mess with her stomach or anything else that I could see. At her age (12.5 to 14.5) pain control was of primary concern.

You are seeing red blood and tarry stool? The first indicates a bleed near the anus. The second might indicate internal bleeding and I believe is the more serious. Unfortunately the only thing I can think is to call up your Vet and book another visit and take in a stool sample. Good luck, keep your old pup comfortable and happy as you can.